Catheter ablation is commonly used to treat a variety of cardiovascular conditions, such as cardiac arrhythmias, atrial fibrillation, and other irregularities in the transmission of electrical impulses through the heart. This minimally invasive surgical technique may involve the use of tip electrodes or other ablating elements to create lesions or other anatomical effects that disrupt or block electrical pathways through the targeted tissue. In the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, a specific area of cardiac tissue having aberrant electrical activity (e.g. focal trigger, slow conduction, excessively rapid repolarization, fractionated electrogram, etc.) is typically identified first before subsequent treatment.
It is advantageous to identify an optimal ablation site before ablating the tissue. Presently, this procedure may require mapping an area of tissue with a first mapping device. Once an optimal ablation site is identified, the mapping device is withdrawn and replaced with an ablation device. However, this practice may increase the chances of patient injury or procedure complications, and may disadvantageously increase the total time needed to treat a condition. Alternatively, presently know devices may include mapping and ablation functionality in a single device, which may reduce procedure time and complexity by eliminating the need to employ separate mapping and ablation devices for each task. Combination mapping and ablation devices also increase ablation accuracy, because once aberrant tissue (the “target tissue”) is found, ablation can begin immediately without having to remove the mapping device and relocating the target tissue with the ablation device. However, such devices may require complicated manufacturing steps and expensive materials, may present insulation problems between mapping and ablation electrodes, and may be prohibitively expensive for some surgeons.
It is therefore desirable to provide a system and device for performing both mapping and ablation at a reduced cost over presently known devices. It is further desirable to provide mapping and ablation functionality in a single device that is easy to operate and cost-effective to manufacture.